


The Sinners are Much More Fun

by bbelladonna



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Gen, spoilers up to the end of s4, what me using song lyrics as titles? it's more likely than you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21939067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbelladonna/pseuds/bbelladonna
Summary: darling, only the good die young
Relationships: Runner Five & Simon, Runner Five and Runner Three
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	The Sinners are Much More Fun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [notebooksnshoelaces](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=notebooksnshoelaces).



“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”

Simon looked over at Runner Five where she was laying on the ground. From his current position (bent at the waist, hands reaching for his ankles and his face pointed towards his knees), she looked like she was sitting on the wall of a cliff staring into the wild blue yonder. Her legs were positioned on the old wooden bench the runners used to mark laps on the track, and with her eyes closed it looked like she was asleep.

“Wish you’d ask my gran that. She’d have a whole list made up like she was giving you proof I needed to be carted away for my sins.” Stretching was important for a runner, but if Runner Five was taking some time off to enjoy the sun then Simon could too.

There was a quiet rustling as Five scooted over to let Simon drape his (much longer) legs over the bench in an attempt to mimic her pose until she spoke again. “When I was in middle school in the States, my 7th grade science teacher had a bookshelf we could borrow books from. I was always done with my work before everyone else, so I almost made it through the bookshelf by the time the year was done. I was never good at putting the books back though. I borrowed a collection of Edgar Allen Poe stories from her and never returned it.” She turned her head to face him, pretending to look deadly serious but unable to keep from cracking a smile for long. “Every time I whack a zom, I think, ‘This is punishment for not returning that book to Ms. Williams’.”

Simon turned his head away and pressed a hand over his heart. “Good Lord, Runner Five! And I thought I was the worse of the two of us! I can’t believe we’re trapped in this living hell because you didn’t return a library book.”

Five gave him a shove. “Okay, I told you mine, now you have to give me something.”

“Oh, no no no. Nothing could be worse than _unreturned books_.”

“Simon!”

“Everyone! Everyone, if you let our new Runner Five borrow a book, she will not return it to you! And the sky will rain fires and the seas will swallow us!” Simon sat up to continue his dramatic monologue while Five’s laughter grew louder and louder. It had been a few weeks since she’d joined the Abel Runners, and while notoriously quiet Simon knew he’d be able to get into some trouble with her. On the rare nice day they got today, she’d opened up a little more, and he was going to have fun with it.

“Okay, that’s it.” Five attempted to get up from the ground, but Simon purposefully failed his legs around to trip her up and make swinging her legs off the bench that more difficult. “I’m going to smother you in your sleep and perform a special one-night, one-woman performance of _The Telltale Heart_.”

“You’ll have to catch me first! And I think your legs might be a little shorter than mine,” Simon teased, getting up before her and starting to run off towards the dormitories, the sound of her footsteps quickly catching up to him.

Simon survived the night, but the next morning Runners Three and Five had some very, very sore legs. After the previous day they always made sure to finish their stretches before beginning to throw around the casual death threats.

~

Most nights after the days’ runs were over, the common area was lively, with various groups spread around the room and multiple different conversations overlapping. One conversation was louder than the others, though, and it caught Sara’s attention immediately.

“It’s hands on your hips, _then_ on your head!”

“No, it isn’t! If your hands are on your head, then how are you supposed to get that great hip movement going?”

“I’m sorry I never danced ‘The Macarena’ as seriously as you, Simon. I guess I was more concerned about other things.”

Before Sara had a chance to walk away, Simon spotted her and waved her over. “Runner Eight, you’re more experienced in life than either of us. Please tell poor Five here that for the most important part of ‘The Macarena’ your hands have to be on your hips.”

On Sara’s approach, Five buried her face in her hands. She peeked out through her fingers, suddenly aware that their discussion had gotten a bit heated, apparently, and Sara could see a red face behind Five’s hands. “Simon, please, I believe you. There’s no reason to get so worked up about some dance moves from one song!” she loudly whispered.

“No, no Five, this is important.” Sara didn’t ever grin, but she smiled, amused at both Five’s reaction to Simon and Sara’s reaction, which could only mean trouble. “Simon, I think you’d better demonstrate. To help Five put the whole dance together.”

Simon winked at her. “See Five? Sara’s the final authority here.” He whistled and got Eugene’s attention, and after a moment convinced him to play this one special request on his special, old, radio show sanctioned laptop. Music started playing through the worn speakers, and everyone’s attention turned to a very smug Simon and Runner Five, having done her best to 1) run away as fast as possible and 2) hide her face in her hands again when Simon pulled her back. Sara watched from the far wall, having made her own escape from the front of the crowd, and smiled softly as in just a few minutes Five eventually joined Simon in his enthusiastic performance of ‘The Macarena’, and soon a dance party (accompanied by a makeshift band) broke out. Because of curfew it didn’t last long, but Five didn’t hide again the rest of the night, and Simon marked it as another small victory.

~

The van ride back to Abel was quiet, with Amelia driving and the busted-up van clunking as quietly as possible. The back of the van was bare except for the thinnest blanket in the world so any potential passenger wouldn’t be forced to sit on the bare, cold metal. Five sat hugging her knees to her chest, and Simon sat to her left. She knew she should thank the two of them for bringing her back (in multiple ways), but she was having trouble making herself breathe, much less speak.

“Five,” Simon had leaned over slightly, voice low so Amelia couldn’t hear over the whining of the van’s belt. Five turned her head in his direction, but she couldn’t meet his eyes. She kept her gaze cast downward toward his shoulder, trying to furiously to just start thinking again. This was Simon. Former Runner Three. He’d betrayed Abel and Sara was dead because of him. He been planning on _poisoning_ Abel residents to be able to go back to Van Ark and-

She’d tried to kill people at Abel too. She _had_ killed lots of people already.

She still remembered the good things Simon had done too, and memories swirled in her head like winds in a hurricane.

Tried to kill people, was friendly to her when she first arrived at Abel. Double agent, always had managed to grab some new toy for the kids on a run. Traitor, helped with making up exercise plans for the runners.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly looked up at Simon’s face. Runner Three’s face. Almost immediately she felt her throat tighten up again and tears welled up in her eyes, and Simon’s face softened a touch. He didn’t move, but Five was already moving without waiting for a response. She threw her arms around him under his and grabbed the back of his shirt, grasping the fabric with such intensity she thought she was going to tear it. In return, Simon wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around her back, hugging her tight to him in a gesture familiar to each other. Sometimes after tough days at Abel you needed to talk to someone else who understood, no offense Sam.

Her face pressed into his shoulder, she knew she was getting his shirt wet with tears. Through the pounding of her heart (and headache) in her ears she swore she could hear Simon’s breath hitching, as though he were trying to stifle his own cries the same way Five was.

Amelia, thankfully, had enough tact to let them sit in silence the rest of the ride to Abel.

~

They were both kneeling on the rooftop, facing each other with a crown of thorns between them.

“Hey, Five. What the worst thing you’ve ever done, again?” Simon tried to grin like he used to, but it was strained and Five could tell he was close to crying.

Five swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. “I- I had to leave my friend behind,” she said, just loud enough to be heard over the wind rushing past them and the smaller explosions beneath them. Her voice cracked at the end, sounding more like a sob than anything.

Simon dropped his grin, instead opting for a small smile, the best he could genuinely muster, and he began raising his hands up toward his head.

Five didn’t see. She was already running after Moonchild, wiping tears from her face.

Afterward, as she began her own descent down the zip line after Maxine, she heard Janine and Simon talking, heard the tightness in Janine’s voice and the countdown begin. It was selfish, probably, but she didn’t care. She desperately worked her headset off using her shoulders, clinging to tightly to her harness to let go, but the last word she heard from Simon was

 _penance_.

**Author's Note:**

> ZR Secret Santa gift for notebooksnshoelaces! I've never written anything with Simon before, so this was a lot of fun! A little bit of angst, a little bit of happy times? I can do both.  
> There is also a playlist for notebooksnshoelaces that I've made for Three and Five! It's here  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2r4XsRN9ZhL70oXqSodDlT?si=uQD6yQURRheTcl2qN8Em8A  
> No Billy Joel here, this is not a romantic fic (at least that wasn't the intention).  
> Happy holidays everyone! And thank you for being such a welcoming community!  
> (please don't tell my 7th grade science teacher where her Edgar Allen Poe book went I'm sorry I didn't even like it that much)


End file.
